Oh, those kooky fifties! Admittedly, I was a grade school kid for half of those years, so my memory of world events is a little hazy. I remember some "traitors" named Rosenberg were executed because "they were commies". I remember air raid drills. We third graders would curl up and hide under our desks until the sirens outside stopped. Although the power of the atom bomb made this only slightly more effective a defense than running around yelling "help me! help me!" I loved them, because for three or four minutes I didn't have to do any school work. Just like the silent prayer. We were told we had to do it in case the Russians came. The Russians were commies.
McCarthyism in its full flower had to be experienced to be appreciated for the American evil it was. What I absolutely recall is my teachers lecturing me about the commies, the russkies, and how it was our duty to inform on anyone we might suspect of communist sympathy. This was extremely difficult on me, as my mother would often rant and rave about being a communist. This, of course, was patently ridiculous. She had three kids, a part time job, and a difficult if not outright impossible marriage. For her to spare five minutes for the local meeting (which, incidently, was not conveniently located in the Al Smith Housing Projects) would have required a sacrifice she couldn't make, and an interest that she never had. She just didn't like the government telling her who she should be afraid of, and when.
This was the backbeat of the fifties, Elvis music notwithstanding. Fear, suspicion, and always the Russians. Some years ago, I was working in a sporting goods store. Two of my co-workers were Russian. Dmitri came here when he was very young. He told me he had to put up with the "commie bastard" routine until a few fights convinced the other kids that maybe another way of teasing the new kid might be safer. Anatoli was a fairly recent arrival. Both of them taught me Russian phrases, and what I learned from them is that there is nothing more fearful about the Russians than their grammar. The Russians finally got here, and they turned out to be just like us except they say "kak di la, droog" instead of "wazzup, bud".
I am reminded of all this by two focal points of the vaccilating McCain campaign. The first is the charge by the principals that Barack Obama is a socialist. The Florida journalist Barbara West extrapolated this further to insinuate that Obama was an outright Marxist. This convoluted logic would make everyone who ever had a drink an alcholic, but if an educated man such as John McCain can make the claim, or stand by while a United States governor makes it for him, then what can we expect of those of his followers who aren't as enlightened?
Without getting into the nuts and bolts of what socialism or communism is or isn't, I can say without hesitation that they are extremely complicated economic systems. Believing that you can turn the United States into a communist country by one or even two acts is to believe that you can transform your body into Schwarzeneggar's with a week of weight training. I have tried to read Das Kapital. I can tell you, it is more cruel than anything they can think of in Guantanamo. Theodore Dreiser is light reading in comparison. I did manage to pick up one tidbit. I don't think you can be fully communist without taking over the means of production. Like if the United States government were to start buying up banks, or automobile companies...
The other bothersome point is the lie that won't die: Barack Obama is a muslim. Granted, no one of any merit in the McCain camp has made such a ludicrous accusation, and the "Crazy McCain Lady" is now a regular character on SNL. Still, read enough blogs and posts, and you see that there are many McCain supporters that honestly believe that Obama is indeed not only a muslim, but an Arab. There was even an incident at a rally in which muslim supporters of McCain were deeply offended by a man and woman charging Obama with "deceiving the Infidel" as part of Islamic docrtrine. I thought maybe that they'd read up on the subject. Imagine my disappointment when I found out it was a plot point mentioned in the film BODY OF LIES.
The point is simply that the government will lead us down the garden path as far as who the enemies of America are. In 1944 the Germans and Japanese were Nazi bastards and Japs. Now they are trading partners and allies. To his credit, John McCain went back to Viet Nam, because he knows if we want to keep America's economy strong, we have to sell Coca Cola in Hanoi too. When the dust in the Middle East settles, Americans will realize that neither Islam nor the millions of "Arab" people who practice it are enemies. Just more people that want to drive a Camaro. C'mon, admit it. You already know how to say "Salaam Alaikum".
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Will The Last One Out Turn Off The Lights?
Remember this one? You'd walk out of your bedroom and if the lights were on your mom would say "hey, do I work for the electric company"! They were simple lessons back then. Don't waste, and clean up your own mess. That's what our current economic crisis is making clear. Today, there is as strong a desire for accountability as there is for rectification. So then, what's with John McCain's energy policies?
There seems to be a common theme in John McCain's energy thinking. Take for example, his favorite initiative, increased nuclear energy, which he claims is clean and safe. Studies indeed show that nuclear generated electricity has less impact on the environment than say, mass spraying of aerosole into the clouds. What isn't that certain is how dangerous the spent fuel might be. Most spent fuel is currently contained in pools outside the power plants. Is this necessarily a danger? Who knows, but it is interesting that while most Americans might favor nuclear energy, nobody, not even Joe the Plumber wants a plant in his backyard.
If the spent fuel would dissipate in a reasonable amount of time, there might not be a controversy. Who can't spare a year, or five, or even ten? However, the half-life for some of the isotopes in the spent fuel is close to 24, 000 years. This is longer than any of us will be alive. Certainly, those responsible for building the plants will be gone long after any consequences are fully exposed. Still, John McCain calls for a plan to build 45 nuclear plants by 2030. This would be 18 years after his last year in office as President. He would be 94, should his family's genetic longevity continue to bless him. If not, he'll be a limited edition Franklin Mint coin.
Recently, McCain has put forth a proposal to cut carbon emissions by 60%....by 2050. I know, he'd be 114 by then, but I'm sure he'd man up and take the heat if the nation fell a little short of that ambitious goal. What is curious is that in 2002 he voted against a bill requiring utilities to generate a very reasonable 10% of their electricity via renewable fuels, and in 2005 voted against another bill calling for the reduction of U.S. oil use by 40% by 2025. He'd be a relatively young 89 by then, and might reasonably be expected to answer questions about this bold stroke.
It seems that John McCain is only comfortable with executive decisions the results of which would not be made manifest until his advanced age at worst, and his departure from this mortal coil at best. Imagine for a moment Lincoln calling for the abolition of slavery by 1964(oh, that's for another story entirely), or Kennedy calling for the U.S. to put a man on the moon by 2010. I suppose, when viewed in this light, McCain's willingness to stay in Iraq "indefinitely" is entirely reasonable. I, for one, would like my world to work just a little bit faster.
There seems to be a common theme in John McCain's energy thinking. Take for example, his favorite initiative, increased nuclear energy, which he claims is clean and safe. Studies indeed show that nuclear generated electricity has less impact on the environment than say, mass spraying of aerosole into the clouds. What isn't that certain is how dangerous the spent fuel might be. Most spent fuel is currently contained in pools outside the power plants. Is this necessarily a danger? Who knows, but it is interesting that while most Americans might favor nuclear energy, nobody, not even Joe the Plumber wants a plant in his backyard.
If the spent fuel would dissipate in a reasonable amount of time, there might not be a controversy. Who can't spare a year, or five, or even ten? However, the half-life for some of the isotopes in the spent fuel is close to 24, 000 years. This is longer than any of us will be alive. Certainly, those responsible for building the plants will be gone long after any consequences are fully exposed. Still, John McCain calls for a plan to build 45 nuclear plants by 2030. This would be 18 years after his last year in office as President. He would be 94, should his family's genetic longevity continue to bless him. If not, he'll be a limited edition Franklin Mint coin.
Recently, McCain has put forth a proposal to cut carbon emissions by 60%....by 2050. I know, he'd be 114 by then, but I'm sure he'd man up and take the heat if the nation fell a little short of that ambitious goal. What is curious is that in 2002 he voted against a bill requiring utilities to generate a very reasonable 10% of their electricity via renewable fuels, and in 2005 voted against another bill calling for the reduction of U.S. oil use by 40% by 2025. He'd be a relatively young 89 by then, and might reasonably be expected to answer questions about this bold stroke.
It seems that John McCain is only comfortable with executive decisions the results of which would not be made manifest until his advanced age at worst, and his departure from this mortal coil at best. Imagine for a moment Lincoln calling for the abolition of slavery by 1964(oh, that's for another story entirely), or Kennedy calling for the U.S. to put a man on the moon by 2010. I suppose, when viewed in this light, McCain's willingness to stay in Iraq "indefinitely" is entirely reasonable. I, for one, would like my world to work just a little bit faster.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Doesn't Anyone Read History Anymore?
Okay, you know why YOU don't like John McCain. He's old, cranky, and he hobbles around like I did after my knee surgery. Maybe it's the condescending eyerolls during his debates that turns you off. Then again, it could be that crocodile grin that just screams "I am SO not happy inside right now" that sends you reeling into the Obama corner.
I suppose, in a way, that my own advanced age has made me a little more willing to listen to his message (mixed, garbled, angry, and seemingly uncomfortable with clear, complete sentences such as it is). It is what he says that gives me pause. Verbal gaffes can be funny, but aren't unpardonable. Who among us has not, in front of a boss or a partner not wished he'd bitten off his tongue before blurting out damaging misinformation? Where I draw distinction is when disregard for historical fact is cavalierly presented as truth. John McCain is fond of spicing up his campaign rhetoric with references to past Presidents. It is his casual use of their histories that bothers me. He gets away with it because sadly enough, we don't read history anymore.
Take for example, his recent comparison of Obama's economic policies, especially as regard taxes, to those of Herbert Hoover. This is an interesting observation, especially when viewed in the light of McCain's core campaign position that Barack Obama is not experienced enough for the Presidency. In fact, when Herbert Hoover took office, he was one of the most singularly qualified men to ever hold the office. He'd held highly responsible positions in government for the previous two decades, covering the World War, the regrettable "peace negotiations", and the period of prosperity that followed several years afterwards. Even so, his rigid character, and unwillingness to try anything different made him the worst possible captain of America's sinking economic ship. It was Hoover, after all, who claimed, shortly after the Stock Market crash, that the "fundemental business of the country.....is on a sound and prosperous basis". That sounds alot more like John McCain than Barack Obama.
McCain is also fond of giving shout outs to Teddy Roosevelt, his "hero". Now, no one can question Roosevelt's pre-Presidential resume. Undersecretary of the Navy, Governor of New York State...he was ready. However, this "maverick" was just someone who managed to irritate everyone in political power at the time, in particular, those in his own party. Roosevelt was hornswaggled into the Vice Presidency, at the time an office described as being "slightly more useless as a pitcher of warm spit". Basically, his fellow Republicans wanted to bury him. Fate intervened when President W. McKinley was assassinated. When Roosevelt was sworn in, he was the youngest man to ever assume the Presidency of the United States. I'm wondering where McCain sees kinship here, but wait...there's more.
During his time as President, Roosevelt shook up the office of President, which had previously been a place for stodgy old men to keep a kindly eye on the store, and a blind eye on the robber barons who were stealing it bloody. Roosevelt was the first to stand up to the Morgans and Schwabs. "I know the banker, merchant, and railroad king well, and they also need an education and sound chastisement" he would say in 1894. I think McCain said "I'm a deregulator". So much for hero worship, but wait....there's more.
Roosevelt, after his two terms as President, decided that he wanted another go at the big office. This time, however, his disaffection with his own party precluded his running as a Republican. Not one to be deterred, Roosevelt formed the Bull Moose Party, where he could really put his progressivist and imperialist doctrines into full throttle. The net result was that he split the ticket, causing his former party to lose. In fact, his candidacy was the premier reason for the election of Woodrow Wilson. Here I do see McCain following suit. For me, when I observe him in his chase for the presidency, I see only a man who is more concerned with the winning of the office than in the execution of its responsibilities. The cynical selection of Sarah Palin, the waffling of his campaign message from week to week, all lead me to the sad, but obvious conclusion that John McCain has a problem living up to the McCain legacy. A father and a grandfather who had become admirals in the navy, but because of his Viet Nam wounds, no ability for him to ever follow suit. John McCain wants to be President for the same reason G.W. Bush did. So daddy will finally approve of him, and frankly, that's just not good enough for me.
I suppose, in a way, that my own advanced age has made me a little more willing to listen to his message (mixed, garbled, angry, and seemingly uncomfortable with clear, complete sentences such as it is). It is what he says that gives me pause. Verbal gaffes can be funny, but aren't unpardonable. Who among us has not, in front of a boss or a partner not wished he'd bitten off his tongue before blurting out damaging misinformation? Where I draw distinction is when disregard for historical fact is cavalierly presented as truth. John McCain is fond of spicing up his campaign rhetoric with references to past Presidents. It is his casual use of their histories that bothers me. He gets away with it because sadly enough, we don't read history anymore.
Take for example, his recent comparison of Obama's economic policies, especially as regard taxes, to those of Herbert Hoover. This is an interesting observation, especially when viewed in the light of McCain's core campaign position that Barack Obama is not experienced enough for the Presidency. In fact, when Herbert Hoover took office, he was one of the most singularly qualified men to ever hold the office. He'd held highly responsible positions in government for the previous two decades, covering the World War, the regrettable "peace negotiations", and the period of prosperity that followed several years afterwards. Even so, his rigid character, and unwillingness to try anything different made him the worst possible captain of America's sinking economic ship. It was Hoover, after all, who claimed, shortly after the Stock Market crash, that the "fundemental business of the country.....is on a sound and prosperous basis". That sounds alot more like John McCain than Barack Obama.
McCain is also fond of giving shout outs to Teddy Roosevelt, his "hero". Now, no one can question Roosevelt's pre-Presidential resume. Undersecretary of the Navy, Governor of New York State...he was ready. However, this "maverick" was just someone who managed to irritate everyone in political power at the time, in particular, those in his own party. Roosevelt was hornswaggled into the Vice Presidency, at the time an office described as being "slightly more useless as a pitcher of warm spit". Basically, his fellow Republicans wanted to bury him. Fate intervened when President W. McKinley was assassinated. When Roosevelt was sworn in, he was the youngest man to ever assume the Presidency of the United States. I'm wondering where McCain sees kinship here, but wait...there's more.
During his time as President, Roosevelt shook up the office of President, which had previously been a place for stodgy old men to keep a kindly eye on the store, and a blind eye on the robber barons who were stealing it bloody. Roosevelt was the first to stand up to the Morgans and Schwabs. "I know the banker, merchant, and railroad king well, and they also need an education and sound chastisement" he would say in 1894. I think McCain said "I'm a deregulator". So much for hero worship, but wait....there's more.
Roosevelt, after his two terms as President, decided that he wanted another go at the big office. This time, however, his disaffection with his own party precluded his running as a Republican. Not one to be deterred, Roosevelt formed the Bull Moose Party, where he could really put his progressivist and imperialist doctrines into full throttle. The net result was that he split the ticket, causing his former party to lose. In fact, his candidacy was the premier reason for the election of Woodrow Wilson. Here I do see McCain following suit. For me, when I observe him in his chase for the presidency, I see only a man who is more concerned with the winning of the office than in the execution of its responsibilities. The cynical selection of Sarah Palin, the waffling of his campaign message from week to week, all lead me to the sad, but obvious conclusion that John McCain has a problem living up to the McCain legacy. A father and a grandfather who had become admirals in the navy, but because of his Viet Nam wounds, no ability for him to ever follow suit. John McCain wants to be President for the same reason G.W. Bush did. So daddy will finally approve of him, and frankly, that's just not good enough for me.
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